On April 10, 2026, at 05:53 Moscow time, the Orion spacecraft successfully fulfilled A second thruster burn to correct the return trajectory to Earth. The maneuver lasted only nine seconds and changed the ship's speed by 1,62 m/s. By this time, the Artemis II crew had already covered most of the way home. Less than a day remained until re-entry into the atmosphere of their home planet and splashdown in the ocean.
Approximately two hours before the engines were ignited, an unfortunate incident occurred—a brief communications failure. While changing the data rate, the "feedback" link—the data transmission channel to Earth—was lost. This affected telemetry transmission and other communications with Earth. Communications were quickly restored, and ground controllers and the crew successfully completed the maneuver preparation and execution.
Earlier that day, the astronauts took turns staring at the ship's windows for about seven hours, collecting scientific data as they orbited the Moon, coming within 6545 miles of it.
The third (and final) thruster burn is scheduled for April 10 at approximately 20:53 PM Moscow time. This will mark the final trajectory correction before entering Earth's atmosphere.
The Artemis II mission is scheduled to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego, California, on April 11, 2026, at 03:07 a.m. Moscow time. The successful second corrective burn confirms the mission is on schedule, and the crew and ground team continue to ensure all conditions are in place for the safe return of humans from the first manned mission to the Moon in over 50 years.
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Source: 3dnews.ru
